Apple on Friday updated its website with a new section touting the company's role in directly creating or supporting more than a half-million jobs in the U.S.

The "Job Creation" page highlights the 514,000 total people Apple says are employed in 50 states because of Apple. Of those, 304,000 are related to engineering, manufacturing and transportation, while 210,000 alone are a result of the App Store and development of applications for the iOS platform.

"Throughout our history, Apple has created entirely new products — and entirely new industries — by focusing on innovation," the site reads. "As a result, we've created or supported more than 500,000 jobs for U.S. workers: from the engineer who helped invent the iPad to the delivery person who brings it to your door."

The page cites a study by Analysis Group which found that Apple has directly or indirectly created 304,000 U.S. jobs. Those include 47,000 jobs at Apple, and 257,000 jobs at other companies.

"For example, this figure also includes workers in Texas who manufacture processors for iOS products, Corning employees in Kentucky and New York who create the majority of the glass for iPhone, and FedEx and UPS employees," the site states.

As for jobs related to the App Store, Apple cites a 2012 study by TechNet that found that 466,000 total jobs have been added to the U.S. economy related to mobile application development. Apple found that 45 percent of the job postings in the "app economy" are specifically tied to the iPhone and iOS.

Apple's decision to begin promoting its creation of jobs in the U.S. comes as the company has been under fire for its alignment with Foxconn and other China-based suppliers for its products. A story in January from The New York Times noted that Apple's reliance on overseas workers also gives the company greater flexibility, diligence and skilled labor availability.

When late Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs met with President Barack Obama last February, Obama reportedly asked Jobs why Apple is unable to bring its manufacturing operations back to the U.S. Jobs reportedly told the president, "Those jobs aren't coming back."

It's a good example for others. The number of jobs is linked to the number of ideas people want to explore and the amount of capital to support that exploration.

The US traditionally has lots of ideas and lots of capital so the only reason for unemployment is (1) people who refuse to adapt to changing times, or (2) government regulations making new ideas too expensive to explore.

250,000 people are paying apple to to be their developers. But how many are making a profit?

However many are good enough. Those who are not good enough are not. Should they be given cash just for trying?

This is like the first few chapters of Atlas Shrugged. Nonstop attacks on those who produce value by those who don't. Hope it doesn't have the same ending (at least for the sake of those who don't produce value)

250,000 people are paying apple to to be their developers. But how many are making a profit?

A job is a job. It doesn't matter how much someone pays into it. How much does the average American pay for gas to drive to and from work everyday? I bet it's more than $100 a year. Apple's Developers Program fee is a drop in the bucket.

For those people who do not profit from it, they're more than likely hobbyists, who do it for the enjoyment and challenge, such as myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tune

FedEx and UPS employees? LOL

Yes. They could be directly responsible for the increase in work force in many different industries, including UPS and FedEx. It's not hat hard to imagine. We're talking millions of shipments.

Disclaimer: The things I say are merely my own personal opinion and may or may not be based on facts. At certain points in any discussion, sarcasm may ensue.

However many are good enough. Those who are not good enough are not. Should they be given cash just for trying?

This is like the first few chapters of Atlas Shrugged. Nonstop attacks on those who produce value by those who don't. Hope it doesn't have the same ending (at least for the sake of those who don't produce value)

No it's an attack to those who publish bs pr job creation data. Apple is indeed creating an app economy and they should be commended for this, and they have been - a lot - by myself included. But from there to claim that all 250,000 US devs that so many of them are students or hobbyists or just registering to get a few training vids and tools, are having a job created for them by apple while they are the ones paying apple instead is just sheer pr bs, and offensive one for that matter.

I have a higher opinion of myself, literature & philosophy than to read Ayn Rand, btw.

250,000 people are paying apple to to be their developers. But how many are making a profit?

Here we go again, people thinking there's no value in what others provide. Think you can do better with developing, distributing, and handling payments go right ahead. For everyone else, that 30% is money well spent to access the literally hundred of millions of iOS users.

I as a consumer couldn't care less if they are making a profit. If their app is great, I will pay for it. If the reviews are bad, I will most likely take my money elsewhere. That's the developer's problem, not mine. It will hopefully weed out the weekend-coder-wannabes and reward the folks that put in the real work.

The reality is that Apple is providing (at the minimum) an opportunity to make a lot of money for really good work, some money for decent and/or acceptable work, and zero money for the slackers looking to make a quick buck.

Manufacturing jobs are very different from Genius Bar jobs. Aren't 99% of the apps in the store free?

The starting pay for a UPS driver is $73,000+ after working for the company for several years in other parts of the company. Apple shipments are probably a drop in the bucket of what those people deliver.

This claim by Apple might be accurate in one aspect but it is essentially a smokescreen of BS for lack of manufacturing jobs in the USA.

There seem to be conflicting reports on what Jobs said regarding returning manufacturing jobs to America. According to Isaacson's book (page 546) he didn't tell Obama in the 2011 meeting that "those jobs are not coming back." Instead, he suggested concrete ways to bring them back:

He noted that Apple needed 30,000 engineers on-site to support its 700,000 Chinese factory workers. "You can't find that many in America to hire," Isaacson quotes him as saying, but Jobs went on to explain that they didn't need PhDs, but just basic engineering skills gained from technical schools and community colleges. "If you could educate these engineers," he said,"we could move more manufacturing plants here."

Manufacturing jobs are very different from Genius Bar jobs. Aren't 99% of the apps in the store free?

The starting pay for a UPS driver is $73,000+ after working for the company for several years in other parts of the company. Apple shipments are probably a drop in the bucket of what those people deliver.

This claim by Apple might be accurate in one aspect but it is essentially a smokescreen of BS for lack of manufacturing jobs in the USA.

What's BS is people only seem to bitch about Apple when it comes to jobs overseas. And the same holier that thou crowd still goes out and buys Apple devices...while bitching abut their stuff being assembledin China.

If the jobs of UPS and FEDEX are being counted because of shipments of Apple products then I can only imagine how many jobs Amazon has created? Or Newegg or any of the other thousands of companies that ship things each day. Seems like a stretch.

Private company can do what it wants. It owes America the country nothing. Sorry but it's true.

I would argue that would be a matter of perspective. I suspect Apple as a company, and also Tim Cook possess a large degree of social conscience and sense of responsibility. Generally the larger a company, or institution become, the more their actions will impact on a significant number of normal people's lives, and as such you could argue that morally, it can no longer do what it wants. It must at least consider the social implications of its actions. Likewise, it may technically 'owe America nothing', but I am not so sure Apple would publicly show America its middle finger.

Judging from the ignorant posts in this thread so far I'm guessing this information won't make it to the tech media at large anytime soon. After all Apple has been dragged through the mud and convicted of evil by the haters and click baiters so any positive PR move by the company will be snickered at. See posts above.

But Apple is big enough to take the blows from clueless idiots who infest tech sites like AI.

I don't like to comment on jobs or China because when I did last time I got blasted, when no one knows anything about me, where I live or where I am coming from. So I'll gladly go a different direction this time...

Nearly all major technology companies are manufacturing in China or somewhere other than the US. I sort of feel sorry for Apple. Since they are the ones growing by leaps and bounds and posting profits in the billions, they are the only ones catching all the crap.

Apple needs to be careful though. It is not used to being portrayed as the big, bad bully. I really think they are trying to maintain their image. When releasing things like this people will ultimately fire back and try to tear down their claims. I think they are going to have to accept that they are becoming a company that some people love to hate. The Linux hippies were OK (they can more quickly list who they like), but having a more mainstream hatred is not sitting well with Apple. They've always been the company progressives love, and now they are starting to turn on them.

No matter what good you do, there is always going to be some neck-bearded hippie to point out all the evil you do is far worse.

For the record, I am not saying Apple is the new Microsoft. Google is the new Microsoft.

However many are good enough. Those who are not good enough are not. Should they be given cash just for trying?

This is like the first few chapters of Atlas Shrugged. Nonstop attacks on those who produce value by those who don't. Hope it doesn't have the same ending (at least for the sake of those who don't produce value)

I know exactly what you mean. Capitalism and the fundamental idea of free markets have been under relentless attack by the president, the public and certain socialistic special interests who believe all that is good or "fair" can only come from government. All of this political pandering is fed by the fuel of disgruntled Americans trying to make their way through a lousy economy. It's a shame that desperate people would rather destroy this country than enable open competition, no protected markets, no subsidization of housing, cars, and what have you...

I would argue that would be a matter of perspective. I suspect Apple as a company, and also Tim Cook possess a large degree of social conscience and sense of responsibility. Generally the larger a company, or institution become, the more their actions will impact on a significant number of normal people's lives, and as such you could argue that morally, it can no longer do what it wants. It must at least consider the social implications of its actions. Likewise, it may technically 'owe America nothing', but I am not so sure Apple would publicly show America its middle finger.

Hundreds of thousands of people are gainfully employed because Apple has taken on the risk to create, out-innovate and sell things people want. If they fail to deliver what customers want... the results are obvious.

Judging from the ignorant posts in this thread so far I'm guessing this information won't make it to the tech media at large anytime soon. After all Apple has been dragged through the mud and convicted of evil by the haters and click baiters so any positive PR move by the company will be snickered at. See posts above.

But Apple is big enough to take the blows from clueless idiots who infest tech sites like AI.

However many are good enough. Those who are not good enough are not. Should they be given cash just for trying?

This is like the first few chapters of Atlas Shrugged. Nonstop attacks on those who produce value by those who don't. Hope it doesn't have the same ending (at least for the sake of those who don't produce value)

God that book was a piece of crap. The Fountainhead was much better and didn't treat the reader like four year old. And didn't Atlas focus on rail roads? Hmmm...who provided the land at incredibly cheap rates to said rail roads? The government, thank you. So even Ayn's egotistical heroes need some help. Ayn Rand was a hack job in her later years, sad to say.

Manufacturing jobs are very different from Genius Bar jobs. Aren't 99% of the apps in the store free?

The starting pay for a UPS driver is $73,000+ after working for the company for several years in other parts of the company. Apple shipments are probably a drop in the bucket of what those people deliver.

This claim by Apple might be accurate in one aspect but it is essentially a smokescreen of BS for lack of manufacturing jobs in the USA.

Open your mind. How many millions of packages is Apple directly or indirectly involved in shipping in the USA every year? Last I knew Chinese companies don't deliver products direct to US addresses. It may be an insignificant number to you but I'll bet that the number is significant to UPS, FedEx and especially to the people who have those jobs. Apple isn't making any claim to US manufacturing jobs so does that mean that Apple shouldn't mention the other 500,000 jobs they helped with? How many other American companies could make a similar claim?

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools." Douglas Adams

I'd like to know how many jobs has Apple killed? I'm sure that number is greater than 514,000.

Crap. Sorry.

If Apple manufactured the iPhone and iPad in the US it would have to price them so much higher that they would have never sold as many or they would not have sold them at all. This would mean either far fewer app jobs or no app jobs at all.

If you don't believe me, fine. It is pretty much basic economics and so is this:

Apple is an actual example of free trade in action and open markets working the way they should.

If Apple manufactured the iPhone and iPad in the US it would have to price them so much higher that they would have never sold as many or they would not have sold them at all. This would mean either far fewer app jobs or no app jobs at all.

Ah, before we get all "outsourcing of jobs-blamey" here, I'd like to point out that it's possible he meant "jobs killed" as in "jobs based on archaic tech that have been obsoleted by Apple innovations over the past fifteen years".